How this wiki is written
Scope, sourcing, voice and corrections: the rules every page in the library follows.
| Curator | Eric Alessi |
|---|---|
| Scope | Contact improvisation and its roots |
| Sourcing | Every claim linked to a work |
| Voice | Plain, third person |
| Advertising | None |
| Corrections | Made once checked |
In short: the wiki covers contact improvisation and the practices it grew from. Every factual claim on a guide page links to the library entry behind it, and a claim with no such entry is marked as the curator's note.
Scope
The wiki covers contact improvisation (CI), the people who shaped it, the practices it drew on and the research written about it. A general book on improvisation can qualify. A general book on dance usually does not. The wiki is deliberately about one form, so that each entry can be read closely and checked.
Sourcing
A guide page is built from the library. Each sentence that states a fact ends with a numbered note, and the note links to the library entry that backs it. The same method can be seen on What is Contact Improvisation?, where a reader can follow a claim such as the origin of the form in June 1972 to the entry that supports it.1
Where no entry exists, the note says so. A sentence that rests on the curator's own observation or on a book's own description is labelled as that, in the note, and is not presented as a finding.
Library entries
Each entry in the library is a short annotation: what the work argues and when to reach for it, with a link to where it can be read or watched. The entry marks whether the work is free or paid, and gives its year, its type and its language. Free and open works are preferred. Paid books are listed when they matter.
Voice
Pages are written in plain, third-person English. They do not use first person and do not carry bylines. A view on a work's value is marked as the annotator's view. Opinions are kept out of the definitions.
What is left out
- Unsourced claims. A claim with no work behind it waits until one is found.
- Copied text. Ideas are cited and linked. Other sites' wording is not reproduced.
- Advertising. The wiki carries none.
- Placeholders. A page is published when it is finished, not announced in advance.
Languages
The wiki itself is written in English. Works in other languages are listed with a language tag, and the library holds works in seven languages, among them French,2 Spanish3 and German.4
Corrections and updates
Dates, names, spellings and dead links go wrong. A correction needs the entry's title, what is wrong and where the right information comes from. Corrections are made as soon as they are checked, and the page's date is updated. The home page lists the most recently added works.
Contributors
The library is curated by Eric Alessi. Suggested works, corrections and annotations are credited by name in the entry when the contributor wants it. See How to contribute for how to send one. The first named contributors will be listed here.
Frequently asked questions
Who writes the wiki?
The curator, Eric Alessi, writes and edits every page. Readers can suggest works, corrections and annotations.
How do I know a claim is sourced?
Each claim on a guide page ends with a numbered note that links to the library entry behind it.5
Does the wiki run advertising?
No. The library is free to read and carries no advertising.
| Guides in this wiki |
|---|
| What is Contact Improvisation? · The small dance · The Underscore · Jams · Steve Paxton · Nancy Stark Smith · Falling and gravity · Consent · Exercises · Glossary · How it is written · Contribute |
Sources in the library
1A Short History Lisa Nelson and Nancy Stark Smith, Contact Quarterly 5.3/4, Spring/Summer 1980, page 43. In the library: History & scenes.
2Living Weight Emma Bigé, "Le poids vivant," 2018. In the library: The gravity school.
3Gender Discourses in Contact Improvisation María Paz Brozas-Polo, "Discursos de género," 2020. In the library: Consent, gender, hierarchy.
4Eine berührbare Welt Heike Pourian, 2016, contact bewegen e.V.. In the library: Books: the complete shelf.
5Thoughts on Contact Improvisation Paxton interviewed 1981, annotated by his 2013 self (ed. Mazzaglia, Danza e Ricerca 2013). In the library: Paxton in his own words.
Cite this page
Alessi, Eric (curator). “How this wiki is written.” The Wiki of Contact Improvisation. Published 31 October 2026, updated 31 October 2026. https://ci-wiki.com/how-this-wiki-is-written/. Accessed .